This and That: BB Cream Update, Red Lips & Tarte/Sigma Giveway Update

I'll warn you ahead of time that this post is going to be all over the place. There are a couple of things that I wanted to mentioned that don't really warrant a post of their own, so I thought I'd combine them all in an odds & ends sort of catch-all.

1. Since last week's post about the Too Faced and Smashbox BB creams, I've had the opportunity to test out two more. I received a sample of the Dr. Brandt Flexitone BB Cream in my New Beauty TestTube and a sample of the Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm. They are both one-shade-fits-all products (which I am not a fan of), though the Dr. Brandt BB Cream claims to be 'self-adjusting' so it can magically morph into your skin tone.

As you can probably  tell from the swatches, both BB creams are slightly too dark for my skin tone and the Dr. Brandt has a slightly orange cast as well. In terms of formula, though, I really like the Dr. Jart+ Beauty Balm.  It has the same lightweight texture as the Smashbox, and it blends really easily into the skin as well - if the color matched my skin better, I might be tempted to buy a full-size when I run out of my Smashbox BB cream. 

Even though it's supposed to be anti-aging (which makes me think it should be fairly moisturizing), the Dr. Brandt BB cream has a slightly drier consistency so I feel like it's harder to blend. It might be an option worth checking out if you've got oily skin, though. 

Dr. Jart+ Premium Beauty Balm (l.) & Dr. Brandt Flexitone BB Cream (r.)

Dr. Jart+ BB Cream swatch (l.) & Dr. Brandt BB Cream swatch (r.)

2. I've mentioned before that as much as I like the look of red lips, I have a tough time getting it to work on me. Well, I've recently come across a product that makes applying - and wearing - a red lip so much easier for me that I had to share it with anyone else who might be having the same troubles - Tarte's LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Tint in Fiery.

I got this a while back in a 500 Point Beauty Insider kit from Sephora, but didn't use it right away. First of all, it's a gorgeous shade - a classic blue red with a matte finish.  But the fact that it's a pencil form means that you don't need a separate lip liner to get a smooth, neat application. You can also sheer it out a bit if you're not totally comfortable wearing a bold red (as I often am not) or layer it for a totally opaque, bombshell look.  I can't say enough good things about it. 

Tarte LipSurgence Natural Matte Lip Tint in fiery

Tarte fiery swatch

3. I have to apologize profusely because I've dropped the ball on this one big time, but I realized the other day that the winner of my Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation, Maracuja Creaseless Concealer & Sigma Flat Top Kabuki Brush giveaway, katehaven, still hasn't gotten in touch with me yet.  I'm going to send another message, but if I don't hear from her within a week (midnight EST on May 2nd), I'm just going to redo the entire giveaway.  I know that a few people mentioned that they didn't know it was even going on until after it ended so I figure that's the best way to go about it.  But kate, please, please get in touch!  You won and I want you to enjoy the goodies!

Have you tried any good BB creams?  What's your favorite red lipstick?  What other new goodies are you enjoying lately?